Dedicated to world peace
Back on course
San Marcos’ Leo Metzer finished second to Gaucho recuit in junior golf tournament - A5
Our 165th Year
Book discusses Robert Muller and his United Nations work - B1
$2.00
SU N DAY, J U ly 19, 2 0 2 0
Defend not defund
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS
Jazzercise Santa Barbara has moved outdoors, outside the Youth Page Center to accommodate clients.
Uncharted territory Local businesses try to pivot after governor’s reclosure order By JORGE MERCADO NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
A group of pro-law enforcement locals rally on the corner of Hollister Avenue and Storke Road in Goleta on Saturday.
A group of pro-law enforcement locals hold rally in Goleta By JORGE MERCADO NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
“Police Lives Matter,” “fund the police,” and honking horns. Those were the sounds that were resonating loud and proud at both corners of Storke Road and Hollister Avenue in Goleta Saturday morning, as more than two dozen people gathered to support local police and law enforcement in a “Back the Blue” rally. “Everyone just wants to support the cops, I think Santa Barbara has done a great job keeping us safe. It’s safe because of our police and safe because of our community, so I want to keep it that way,” Justin Shores, one of the event’s organizers, told the NewsPress. Mr. Shores, 38, said the idea to hold a rally came about earlier in the week, when an article on lawenforcementtoday.com was published calling for nationwide rallies on Saturday to support the police. After reading the article, he shared it with his friends and began organizing the event. Originally, Mr. Shores said the plan was to hold it near City Hall, but “most people wanted to come here to show a little bit of visual support.” The rally certainly received a lot of support, with passersby honking their horns, motorcyclists revving their engines and others showcasing their flags as they drove by. Mr. Shores was holding an American flag as he chanted while others in the crowd held up signs with phrases such as “Defend don’t defund,” or “Back the badge” and other sentiments. “I mean, it’s one of the hardest
Settlement announced in jail litigation By MITCHELL WHITE NEWS-PRESS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The rally was formed after an article on lawenforcementtoday.com was published calling for nationwide rallies on Saturday to support the police.
jobs in the world right now. There is no quitting, they’re not getting supported by the people that they’re protecting and we can’t turn our backs on the people that have been helping us for years to protect us so it’s more important than ever to support them,” Mr. Shores said. He added that his father was a police officer while his stepdad was a security guard. “Everyone has some connection to somebody that’s served, so that’s another thing where they are people just like us. They’re our family members, our friends, our co-workers and they need to be supported,” Mr. Shores said. Greg and Miki Hammel were also there to show their support for the police. The couple both said that the actions of a few “bad” cops should not mean that all cops are bad. “They’re making all the cops pay and we believe that most of the cops are good law-abiding people who want to do their job,
FOLLOW US ON
6
66833 00150
0
“I just don’t know. We have no plan.” Sammi Thomas, owner of 1329 Salon & Spa on 1329 State St., told the News-Press, but it’s a sentiment that resonates with hundreds of local business owners in Santa Barbara County. Since Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order forced the reclosure of indoor operations at nail salons, barbershops, places of worship, fitness centers, and others, more and more businesses are finding it tough to keep the lights on at all -- even if restrictions are lifted again. “We really thought it was just going to be the first and last time (we were forced to close)… but I think that this a second time really made me think, ‘What should I do? What is going to be
next?’” Ms. Thomas said. “It just pushed us to the edge. Like, how are we going to do this?” Ms. Thomas was as excited as she could be when the county first lifted restrictions so she could open up her salon. She opened up in mid-June, about two weeks after the restrictions were lifted on May 27. Despite the excitement, Ms. Thomas knew she had to temper her expectations, as she could only accommodate about 20 to 40% of her normal client base at one time. In addition, with more time being spent on extensive cleaning and making sure everything was safe, that left less time in the day to continually book. Please see CLOSED on A5
“They’re our family members, our friends, our co-workers and they need to be supported,” said Justin Shores, one of the event’s organizers.
and we support them. Without them, we would have anarchy, which we are seeing (in some places),” Mr. Hammel said. Ms. Hammel said that, overall,
defunding the police would be more detrimental and that there are other ways to try to help solve the problem. Please see RALLY on A3
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department announced a settlement in a class-action lawsuit regarding conditions of confinement at the County Jail. The settlement from the Dec. 6, 2017, lawsuit was announced Friday night by the Sheriff’s Office. The case involved plaintiffs Clay Murray, David Franco, Shareen Winkle, Maria Tracy and Erick Brown. The plaintiffs were represented by several different attorneys, including Disability Rights California, Prison Law Office, and King & Spalding LLP. The lawsuit alleged that conditions at the jail do not meet the minimum standards under the Constitution and federal law, with the plaintiffs arguing that the county and Sheriff’s Office “failed to provide adequate mental health and medical care, overused and misused solitary confinement, discriminated against people with disabilities, and allowed for unsanitary and unsafe living conditions for people incarcerated at the jail,” according to the plaintiffs. The lead plaintiff, Mr. Murray, is an Army veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who uses a wheelchair.
While in custody, the plaintiffs said he received no meaningful mental health treatment and was confined to a housing unit that was inaccessible to people with physical disabilities. “Activities as basic as taking a shower or using the toilet put Mr. Murray at risk of injury every day. Due to overcrowding and the lack of accessible beds, Mr. Murray was forced to sleep on the floor many nights.” read a statement from Disability Rights California. Subject to court approval, the settlement binds Santa Barbara County and the Sheriff’s Office to changes that authorities say have already been implemented and future commitments to improve living conditions for people confined in the jail, said Raquel Zick, sheriff’s spokeswoman. “The County and the Sheriff’s Office have been implementing process improvements and advancements over the last several years consistent with the settlement plan,” Ms. Zick said. “The settlement plan will result in more out of cell time for inmates, specialized mental health units and timelines to address different acuity levels of medical and mental health conditions, increased Please see jail on A7
ins id e
LOTTERY
Comics................. A6 Classified............... A7 Life........................ b1
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 16-30-37-39-43 Meganumber: 14
Saturday’s DAILY 4: 9-0-3-6
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 12-13-21-46-57 Meganumber: 21
Saturday’s FANTASY 5: 1-3-8-28-37
Saturday’s DAILY DERBY: 04-12-10 Time: 1:46.60
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 13-16-32-58-59 Meganumber: 9
Obituaries............. A8 Soduku................. b2 Weather................ A8
Saturday’s DAILY 3: 5-3-4 / Sunday’s Midday 0-4-3